Proposal for versioning of eduGAIN for use in roadmaps

Background:

The eduGAIN inter federation service, while it has some software components, is not a software-driven service. Rather, the software supports a policy and technical framework. To provide roadmap versioning only based on the software components would not give reasonable expectations of what a service change is and what it delivers. The version number is never user visible and only federation visible out of band. 

The significant components of eduGAIN are:

Technology Agnostic:

• eduGAIN Declaration v1
• eduGAIN Constitution  v2 active, v3 in progress

SAML Specific:

• MDS (metadata service) - v2. This is the ONLY software component in eduGAIN. It is delivered using an open source product, pyff.
• SAML Profile v1. To be rewritten to v2 in 2017. 
• eduGAIN Metadata Profile (unversioned) defines rules for SAML metadata producers that plan to submit their metadata to the eduGAIN Metadata Service (MDS) for aggregation.  Propose to be incorporated as supplementary document to new SAML profile.
• eduGAIN Attribute Profile - To be deprecated in v2 of SAML Profile
  
  
• Recommended Practice:
• GÉANT Data Protection Code of Conduct - optional technique for attribute release support, v1. v2 to be developed to include GDPR.
• REFEDS R&S v1.3

Non SAML Profiles

• None in production,OIDC profile under design, may also require an OIDC equivalent of the MDS.

Some of the above components are developed outside GÉANT and adopted by eduGAIN so there is no control over versioning.

Proposals for versioning:

Option 1:

Adaptation of semantic versioning  Major.Minor.Patch but not focussed on the software element and trying to give as much user relevant rather than engineering relevant information as possible.

• Major - increment by the Constitution version.
• Minor - increment  by significant increments to the technical profiles or technical infrastructure that substantially alters the available functionality.
• Patch - increment by minor changes
• Subsidiary documents continue to increment their versions.

Examples:

• eduGAIN 3.0 supports SAML profile v1.
• eduGAIN 3.1 will support SAML profile v2.
• eduGAIN 3.1.1 will support SAML profile v2 with an upgraded MDSv3
• eduGAIN 3.2.0 will support SAML profile v2 and OIDC profile v1
• eduGAIN 3.2.1 will support SAML profilev2 with CoCo v2 as recommended. (assumes SAML profile v2 included CoCo v1)

Option 2:

Adaptation of semantic versioning  Major.Minor.Patch but with any feature with significant user impact incrementing the major version trying to give as much user relevant rather than engineering relevant information as possible.

• Major - increment by  significant change in any mandatory parts, or in mandatory parts of optional technology profiles or significant infrastructure
• Minor - increment  by less significant increments to the technical profiles or technical infrastructure that substantially alters the available functionality.
• Patch - increment by minor changes,  likely primarily to the MDS
• Subsidiary documents continue to increment their versions.
• Start the baseline with the constitution change

Examples: 

• • eduGAIN 3.0 supports SAML profile v1.
  • eduGAIN 3.1 will support SAML profile v2.
  • eduGAIN 3.1.1 will support SAML profile v2 with an upgraded MDSv3
  • eduGAIN 4.0 will support SAML profile v2 and OIDC profile v1
  • eduGAIN 4.0.1 will support SAML profilev2 with CoCo v2 as recommended. (assumes SAML profile v2 included CoCo v1)

Option 3:

Chrome/Thunderbird style - every change levels up the version number, no subordinate numbering.

Examples:

• eduGAIN 3 supports SAML profile v1.
• eduGAIN 4 will support SAML profile v2.
• eduGAIN 5 will support SAML profile v2 with an upgraded MDSv3
• eduGAIN 6  will support SAML profile v2 and OIDC profile v1
• eduGAIN 7 will support SAML profilev2 with CoCo v2 as recommended. (assumes SAML profile v2 included CoCo v1)

Option 4: 

No full formal versioning of the eduGAIN service in this style.

Versioning something can be helpful for outwards communication but attaching a version to eduGAIN could be considered as analog to attaching a version to the Internet.

Announce updates only by availability of version of feature e.g.

Examples:

• eduGAIN constitution v3 will be released on...with features xxx.
• MDS v3 will be deployed on
• SAML Profile v2 will be in force from...
• SIRTFI support will be in pilot from...